U.S. Efforts Fail to Heal Contra Rift

By GEORGE VOLSKY, Special to the New York Times

Published: May 6, 1988

MIAMI, May 5—
Despite the Reagan Administration's efforts to shore up a monthlong rift in the Nicaraguan rebel leadership, the differences appear to persist.

The dispute reportedly stems from a power struggle between two factions in the contra leadership and focuses on the leadership of Col. Enrique Bermudez, the guerrilla military commander.

The colonel said Wednesday he would retain his post despite opposition to his leadership in his own ranks. The colonel spoke after a meeting in Washington with Secretary of State George P. Shultz that was also attended by the five contra political leaders.

The State Department spokesman, Charles E. Redman, said the meeting focused primarily on the peace talks between the contras and the Sandinista Government, rather than on the contras' internal problems. But he said that ''this is a time in which unity is going to be needed,'' apparently referring to the contras' internal divisions. Reason for Lack of Progress

The lack of unity may have weakened the contras in their negotiations with the Nicaraguan Government and is cited by contra leaders as one reason for the lack of progress at the latest round of peace talks, which ended in Managua last weekend.

''The Sandinistas are aware of our problems and want to take advantage of them,'' said Alfredo Cesar, one of the five directors of the Nicaraguan Resistance who attended the Managua meeting and the meeting with Mr. Shultz Wednesday. He said that the challenge to Colonel Bermudez's leadership was ''frozen at the moment.''

''The feud among guerrilla commanders has not affected the troops as yet,'' said one prominent Nicaraguan exile who asked not to be identified. ''But if this goes on, and it appears that it will, it could result in the collapse of the resistance.'' Replacement Demanded

On April 23, four young guerrilla commanders delivered a petition to the five directors demanding the replacement of Colonel Bermudez.

According to Adolfo Calero, a member of the contra directorate, the petition accuses Colonel Bermudez of disregarding the contras' military general staff in the conduct of the war and of profiting personally from the purchase of military supplies.

The colonel has denied the allegations. The text of the petition has not been made public.

The dissident officers apparently did not act alone. Last week, American and contra officials said Mr. Calero had persuaded the officers to move against the colonel as part of an effort to assume both the civilian and military leadership of the contras.

Mr. Calero is said to be supported by two other directors, Pedro Joaquin Chamorro and Maria Azucena Ferray, thus commanding a majority in the group, which is nominally above the military in the contra command structure. Reportedly opposing Mr. Calero are Mr. Cesar and Aristides Sanchez. Contra Officers Arrested

Mr. Calero refused to comment on the reports that he was behind the effort to oust Colonel Bermudez. He said that while he regarded the petition as untimely, it would have to be acted upon and resolved through ''institutional channels,'' meaning that the contra directorate would vote on its merit, possibly later this month.

On Wednesday, three contra officers who emerged as the leaders of the anti-Bermudez faction were arrested by the Honduran Government.

Those detained were Walter Calderon Lopez, known as Tono, until recently the rebels' top operations officer; Tirzo Ramon Moreno, a prominent battalion commander, and a rebel pilot idenfified as Waikita. Also arrested were three civilians who suport the anti-Bermudez faction, among them Donald Lacayo, the legal adviser of the contra forces. [ Honduran immigration officials deported the detained Nicaraguans Thursday, Reuters reported from Tegucigalpa, quoting contra sources. The Nicaraguans were put on a commercial flight to Miami, the report said. ] Maintaining Equilibrium Arturo Jose Cruz, a Washington-based consultant to Mr. Sanchez, said today that the State Department meeting only resolved to ''maintain for the moment an equilibrium'' in the directorate. He added that peace talks are a waste of time as long as the factions continue to feud.

Saying that the Administration ''has no coherent Nicaraguan policy,'' he added, ''The U.S. has to decide which faction it supports, and what it really wants, because the military solution is no longer viable.''

Mr. Cesar said that a new meeting with the Sandinistas is possible before the end of the month, when a 60-day cease-fire is to expire.